


flatline

by soulofme



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drabble, Established Relationship, M/M, POV First Person, POV Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Zombie Apocalypse, Zombie Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-07 02:17:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11049231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulofme/pseuds/soulofme
Summary: “You can’t leave me,” he whispers desperately, pulling back and looking at me with wide eyes. “You can’t.”“You’ll go to Sina,” I tell him, brushing his hair away from his eyes and pulling him towards me so that I can kiss him on the forehead. “Just like we planned, sweetheart.”





	flatline

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Прямая линия](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13849962) by [Grenzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grenzy/pseuds/Grenzy)



“I’m sorry,” I say again.

“Don’t apologize,” Eren replies softly, but there are tears streaming down his face. He wraps the scrap of fabric tighter around my calf and smiles at me. “It’s just a little scratch, right?”

I can’t bring myself to smile back. My leg throbs in agony and I try my best not to let it show. Eren can read me like a book, though, and he sits on his haunches and presses the backs of his hands to his eyes. His body shakes with the effort of holding back his sobs.

I sink down onto the dirty ground and wrap my arms around him.

“Don’t cry,” I beg him. “Please don’t cry.”

“You can’t leave me,” he whispers desperately, pulling back and looking at me with wide eyes. “You _can’t_.”

“You’ll go to Sina,” I tell him, brushing his hair away from his eyes and pulling him towards me so that I can kiss him on the forehead. “Just like we planned, sweetheart.”

“I don’t…I can’t go without you,” he says, shaking his head.

“I don’t have much time left,” I tell him. “Infection spreads fast. You remember how to use the gun, right? You remember what I told you?”

Eren pushes me away from him.

“I’m not killing you!” he hisses, outraged, and I swallow hard. My vision swims and I wonder if it’s the heat or the exhaustion that’s making me contemplate ending it all right now.

“The Infection’s already killing me,” I mutter. I smirk at him, though it takes a lot more effort than it usually does. “C’mon. Don’t you remember what I told you about leaving something unfinished?”

“I’ll take you with me,” Eren says, standing to his feet. “You can still walk, can’t you?”

“I can’t go with you, Eren.”

“I’m not leaving you behind.”

“Stop acting like a brat,” I say without thinking. Eren recoils at that and I wish I could take the words back. I stand up shakily and run my fingers through my hair. “You have to go. You don’t have a choice.”

“Neither do you!”

“I made my choice,” I mutter. “Look where it got me.”

“You didn’t need to protect me,” he says angrily. “You don’t need to always protect everyone else all the fucking time.”

I stay silent, leaning heavily against the truck behind me. I scan the horizon and take a heavy breath.

“We have to move,” I say finally. “They’re gonna come back for us.”

Eren swallows hard and curls his fists around the hem of his jacket. He finally nods before he hefts my rifle up and slings the strap over his shoulder. He holds his hand out for me to take and I selfishly intertwine our fingers. I should leave. I should shoot myself in the face right now. But I can’t. I want to stay with him as long as possible, even if it means endangering us.

I hobble along after Eren. His body shakes and I do my best to ignore the sight of it. We pass by the group of the Infected that had attacked us earlier. He looks straight ahead but I watch as they tear into the body of a young woman. Their fierce growls echo in the silent afternoon. Their cloudy, colorless eyes dart all over the place before they land on me.

“Run,” I whisper, trying to let go of Eren’s hand, but he only grabs onto me tighter. “Eren, run!”

I push him away from me and turn towards the Infected. Their feet drag across the gravel with each step they take towards me. I feel Eren tugging at my hand insistently.

“Levi, please,” he whispers. “We can make it. Please!”

“You got that gun ready, sweetheart?” I ask. My vision becomes blurry again, and this time it doesn’t clear. It feels like ice water has been injected straight into my veins. Vaguely, I find myself wondering if this is what death really feels like.

“Levi, no,” he says, nails biting into the flesh of my arm, and I shake my head.

“Aim at their head, Eren,” I say. “C’mon. Just like I taught you.”

Slowly, I feel Eren letting go of me. I hear him fiddling with the gun before he exhales shakily and fires a shot. He misses and the Infected growls loudly at him, its jaw snapping open threateningly.

“It’s okay,” I say encouragingly, sweat beading across my forehead. “Do it again.”

Eren sobs and fires again. He nails the fucker right in the forehead and I watch as it drops to the ground limply.

“There’s another one, sweetheart,” I tell him, swallowing hard. “C’mon. You’re doing so well.”

Eren shoots again and kills the Infected instantly. I smile softly at the sight, drowning out the sound of Eren’s wail behind me.

“You missed one,” I say, turning to face him.

He’s got the gun still aimed in the air and a terrified expression on his face.

“W-Where?” he stammers.

I grab the barrel of the gun, hissing as the heat practically singes my flesh, and press the burning muzzle against my forehead.

“Right here” I whisper.

“Levi!”

“It’s just like the others,” I say, trying to encourage him, but a part of me wants to keep silent and continue on until I turn. My heart constricts painfully in my chest and I know that it’s starting. “Just one clean shot. You’ve done it before. You can do it again.”

“I’m not gonna kill you,” he says firmly, his eyebrows furrowed. “We’re gonna make it to Sina, you and I both, and we’re gonna be _fine_.”

“You have to do it, Eren,” I insist, even though my throat feels like it’s on fire. “Don’t be scared, sweetheart. You got this.”

“I—”

“It’s just like riding a rollercoaster,” I continue on. “Remember when you were scared to go up? Remember how your sister told you to just close your eyes and do it? That’s all you gotta do. Just close your eyes.”

Eren closes his eyes and I feel my eyes begin to blur with tears.

“Just like that,” I say. His finger trembles over the trigger and I reach up shakily with my other hand to hold it firmly. “Just one little push, Eren. That’s all you gotta do.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers frantically. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” I say. “You had to do it. I forgive you, Eren. It’s alright.”

Eren hesitates again. The pain in my chest gets stronger and I grunt as I feel it begin to spread throughout my body.

“C’mon, sweetheart,” I say, my hand trembling around his.

Eren inhales sharply and presses the muzzle firmly against my forehead. I close my eyes, feeling tears leak out of the corners, just as Eren presses down on the trigger.


End file.
